Multi-axially stretchable fabric cap

ABSTRACT

A stretchable cap made from multi-axially stretchable fabric is described herein. The cap is composed of a main body having a lower peripheral edge, wherein the main body is composed of a plurality of gores made of multi-axially stretchable material. Additionally, two gores or more gores may be formed from one or more layers of multi-axially stretchable material that are coupled together to form self-supporting gores. Alternatively, two gores may be made from multi-axially stretchable material having a greater thickness than the other gores that form the cap&#39;s main body. The cap also includes an elastic sweatband coupled to a lower peripheral edge.

BACKGROUND

Numerous types of caps have been available for a number of years, some having various adjustable features in order to fit a variety of head sizes. One of the more common caps generally includes a cut-out or gap in the back with a band that is adjustable by reason of a plurality of slots which are engagable with one of a plurality of protuberances in order to adjust the headband size of the cap. Alternatively, caps have been developed which utilize uni-axially stretchable fabrics. However, these caps and hats have not been altogether desirable from the aspect of being comfortably fitted to the head of the wearer. That is, many of the uni-axially stretchable caps are unable to stretch in a plurality or multiplicity of directions thereby causing undue pressure on the head of the wearer and possibly leaving a mark or certainly providing discomfort when wearing the cap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments relate to a woven fabric cap made of a plurality of gores wherein at least the majority of the gores making up the cap are axially stretchable in a plurality of directions so as to provide an easy fit for the head of the wearer. Additionally, at least two gores are formed from at least two layers of multi-axially stretchable material to form self-supporting gores. By coupling two layers of stretchable material together, the cap is provided with a front crown that is self-supporting. In another exemplary embodiment, the two front gores may be formed from multi-axially stretchable material having a greater thickness than the other gores that form the main body of the cap in order to form a self-supporting front crown. The cap may also be provided with an elastic sweatband coupled to the lower peripheral edge of the cap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a cap;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the cap shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a cap; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the exemplary embodiments may be constructed and/or utilized.

Turning to the drawings, FIG. 1 is directed to one exemplary embodiment of a multi-axially stretchable cap 100. Cap 100 is composed of a bill or visor 101 and a main body, which is composed of a plurality of gores 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107. While the cap 100 of FIG. 1 has 6 gores, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of gores may be varied. As shown in FIG. 1, the gores may include air vents 110 for ventilation purposes. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the gores 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 may also be provided without the vents 110. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 1, the cap 100 may be expandable to accommodate various head sizes due to the multi-axially stretchable fabric. Also, in one exemplary embodiment, the multi-axially stretchable fabric for the back gores 105, 106 may be cut on the diagonal in order to provide additional stretching of the gores.

The gores 102, 103 on the front of the cap may be composed of one or more layers of multi-axially stretchable material that are adhered together. As shown in FIG. 2, the gore 103 includes a second layer of material 200. According to various embodiments, the fabric may have a thickness ranging from approximately 0.315 mm to approximately 0.450 mm. According to one exemplary embodiment, the first layer 103 and the second layer 200 are coupled together by an elastomeric adhesive layer 201. According to one exemplary embodiment the glue composition may be EVA (Ethyline Vinyl Acetate). As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the adhesive layer may be any other known or developed fabric adhesives. The elastomeric adhesive 201 utilized to adhere gore 103 to gore 200 may have a thickness of approximately 0.015 mm, however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the glue thickness may be varied depending upon the intended application.

According to another exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5-6, the front gores 500, 501 may be composed of a single, thicker layer of multi-axially stretchable material as compared to the other gores 104, 105, 106, 107. In one exemplary embodiment, the front gores 500, 501 may have a thickness of approximately 0.5 mm. The thicker material of the front gores 500, 501 allows these gores to be self-supporting (i.e., having the ability to stand upright).

In one exemplary embodiment, the bill or visor 101 may be fashioned of molded plastic having a curvilinear design. In another exemplary embodiment, the bill or visor 101 may have a flat straight design. Overlying the plastic component is a fabric, which may be of the same color and/or construction with respect to stretchability as to the stretchable fabric of the cap 100. The bill or visor 101 is coupled to the main body of the cap 100 below the front gores 102, 103, which may be composed of two or more layers of stretchable fabric. Alternatively, the bill or visor 101 is coupled below the front gores 500, 501, which may be composed of a single, thicker layer of stretchable fabric.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the gores 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 are made of a fabric that is composed of cotton and is woven with a stretchable synthetic fiber such as, but not limited to, spandex, which is a synthetic fiber composed of a long chain polymer which adds elasticity to the fabric. The fabric may be woven with the stretchable synthetic fiber in both the warp and the weft of the fabric in order to provide stretchability in more than one axial direction of the fabric making up the cap. One exemplary fabric has the following characteristics: Cotton Lycra Spandex Buckram (60 × 40/16 × 10) Extension Direction Original Extension (mm) Percentage Longitudinal (warp) - 1 Test 100 102.4 2.4% Longitudinal (warp) - 2 Test 100 102.4 2.4% Latitudinal (weft) - 1 Test 100 124.5 24.5% Latitudinal (weft) - 2 Test 100 125.5 25.5% 45° Degree Diagonal - 1 Test 100 126.0 26.0% 45° Degree Diagonal - 2 Test 100 124.8 24.8% 60° Degree Diagonal - 1 Test 100 128.5 28.5% 60° Degree Diagonal - 2 Test 100 128.9 28.9%

Another exemplary fabric has the following characteristics: Cotton Lycra Spandex Buckram (120 × 70/40 × 40) Extension Direction Original Extension (mm) Percentage Longitudinal (warp) - 1 Test 100 101.8 1.8% Longitudinal (warp) - 2 Test 100 101.3 1.3% Latitudinal (weft) - 1 Test 100 152.2 52.2% Latitudinal (weft) - 2 Test 100 148.0 48.0% 45° Degree Diagonal - 1 Test 100 144.1 44.1% 45° Degree Diagonal - 2 Test 100 142.6 42.6% 60° Degree Diagonal - 1 Test 100 158.0 58.0% 60° Degree Diagonal - 2 Test 100 156.9 56.9%

The cap 100 is fabricated with the gores 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 being sewn together in usual fashion and has a depending peripheral edge 111 in which is secured an elastic sweatband 400. The thread that may be utilized in fabricating the cap 100 is a typical commercially available nylon elastic thread and is of appropriate thickness, as those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize. The thread may only be strong enough to withstand the stretching forces to which the components making up the cap 100 will be exposed. It is important, however, that the thread itself will be of sufficient elasticity so as to contribute to the overall conformability of the cap 100.

As shown in FIG. 4, an elastic headband 400 is coupled to the lower periphery of the cap's main body. In FIG. 4, the exemplary embodiment of the elastic headband 400 may be of rather thin dimensions, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elastic headband may have varying dimensions. Also, the elastic headband 400 may be a one-, two-, or three-component band. In one exemplary embodiment, the headband is a three-component elastic band as described in PCT/US02/34976, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. According to one exemplary embodiment, the elastic headband 400 elastic sweatband is a single unfolded layer. In another exemplary embodiment, the elastic sweatband may be folded.

While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described with regards to various embodiments, it is recognized that additional variations of the present invention may be devised without departing from the inventive concept. 

1. A stretchable fabric cap, comprising: a main body having a lower peripheral edge, the main body comprising plurality of gores, wherein each gore is made of multi-axially stretchable material and the two front gores are self-supporting gores; and an elastic sweatband coupled to the lower peripheral edge.
 2. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 1 wherein a visor is coupled to the self-supporting gores.
 3. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 2 wherein the self-supporting gores comprise at least two layers of multi-axially stretchable material.
 4. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 2 wherein the self-supporting gores comprise a single, thick layer of multi-axially stretchable material.
 5. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 2 wherein the elastic sweatband is a single unfolded layer.
 6. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 2 wherein the elastic sweatband is a folded sweatband.
 7. A stretchable fabric cap, comprising: a main body having a lower peripheral edge, the main body comprising a plurality of gores, wherein each gore is made of multi-axially stretchable material, and the two front gores are self-supporting gores comprising first layer of multi-axially stretchable material coupled to a second layer of multi-axially stretchable material; a visor coupled to the self-supporting gores; and a single unfolded elastic sweatband coupled to the lower peripheral edge, wherein the elastic sweatband includes Spandex.
 8. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 7 wherein the at least two layers of multi-axially stretchable material are glued together with an elastomeric adhesive.
 9. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 8 wherein the adhesive is EVA.
 10. A stretchable fabric cap, comprising: a main body having a lower peripheral edge, the main body comprising a plurality of gores, wherein each gore is made of multi-axially stretchable material, and wherein two front gores are self-supporting gores comprising first layer of multi-axially stretchable material coupled to a second layer of multi-axially stretchable material; a visor coupled to the self-supporting gores; and a folded elastic sweatband coupled to the lower peripheral edge, wherein the sweatband includes Spandex.
 11. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 10 wherein the first layer of multi-axially stretchable material is coupled to the second layer of multi-axially stretchable material with an elastomeric adhesive.
 12. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 11 wherein the adhesive is EVA.
 13. The stretchable fabric cap of claim 10 wherein the gores positioned at a back of the cap are made of multi-axially stretchable fabric that is cut along a diagonal of the fabric. 